Compare and Contrast Cause and Effect Graphic Organizer Worksheet
A compare and contrast cause and effect graphic organizer where 3rd graders chart what happened and why in two texts, then write how the texts compare. Works with any pair of books.
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About this resource
Description
Comparing two texts is one of the biggest steps a third grader takes as a reader. Once a child can name what happened in a story or an article, and why it happened, a better question opens up: how do two different texts show causes and effects? This compare and contrast cause and effect graphic organizer worksheet gives students a clear place to hold both texts at once, so no idea gets lost while they are thinking. Instead of juggling four ideas in their heads, they write each one down and then look across the page.
Students begin by writing the title of each text on the lines at the top. Next they fill in the Cause in Text 1 and Effect in Text 1 boxes, and do the same for the second text. The last card asks them to write one way the two causes or effects are alike and one way they differ, which turns four boxes of notes into real thinking. Because this 3rd grade cause and effect worksheet works with any two texts, teachers can pair a read-aloud with a short science article, two folk tales, or a fiction and a nonfiction piece on the same subject. Every response comes from the child’s own reading, so responses will vary from student to student.
What’s Included
- 1 print-ready PDF worksheet
- 2 text title lines and 4 labeled cause and effect boxes
- A written comparison step with 3 writing lines
This compare and contrast cause and effect graphic organizer helps kids in three ways. First, it separates the work, so finding a cause, finding its effect, and comparing happen one step at a time instead of all at once. Second, the side-by-side layout makes the comparison visible, because students can see Text 1 and Text 2 lined up, which is exactly the mental picture strong readers build. Third, the writing step at the bottom asks for a reason in the student’s own words, which is the form most state reading tests use.
Teachers and parents can stretch this skill well past the page. Read two books about storms and talk about how each storm changed the lives of the characters. Try a news story and a picture book about the same animal, and ask which one explained the reasons more clearly. At home, compare two bedtime stories and ask what made each ending happen. You can also flip the task around and give students one effect, then ask them to invent two different causes that could lead to it. Slide the page into a sleeve and use a dry-erase marker so the organizer can be used again all year.
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